Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2008/ii/paper-4/35d/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 4 35D Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Use signature , which is required for the stated tensor convention. Then . The time component is , while gives the spatial components . Thus
The scalar is the charge density in the medium's rest frame. In that frame , so and . The rest-frame Ohm's law is precisely their proportionality with rest conductivity . Both sides are four-vectors, so its covariant form isThe time and spatial components respectively giveEliminate to obtainIf the rest-frame charge density vanishes, set , not necessarily in the lab frame. ThenThe induced lab charge is the term that cancels the longitudinal correction in the general formula.
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